Journey of Hearts
by Tifalover88
Summary: Tifa, Yuffie, and Rikku as well as newcomers Jason, Charexl, and Alexi are on the search for Cloud. But will their Journey be over when they find him...?
1. Chapter 1

_**Journey of Hearts**_

_Chapter 1:_

_The Journey of a 1000 Miles..._

_Note: Despite what it may seem, this will NOT be a CloTi fic. This is a Kingdom Hearts fic, taking place at least 1 month after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2. All the chars belong to either Squeenix or Disney, except Jason (Myself), Charexl, and Alexi (My friends). That is all.  
_

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"WuNin is in place..." Said a girl into the small, barely visible microphone she was wearing. Her short black hear hung over her black, white lined headband.

"So's ABF!" Said a tiny blonde haired girl, flying behind a wall, also wearing an even tinier headset.

"Execute Plan Sweet 'n Salty..." Said a boy wearing glasses who's long brown hair was in a ponytail, also wearing a headset. The girl "ABF", who could've only been as tall as maybe 10 or 11 inches, swiftly flew around the wall and knocked over the tophat their unsuspecting victim was wearing. The old duck yelled something and scrabbled for it as ABF flew into hiding, giggling. Once the duck picked his hat up again and placed it back on his feathered head, WuNin appeared in front of him.

"Hey, Scrooge!" She said cheerfully. All was going according to plan. ABF created the initial distraction, then WuNin kept him occupied. The boy slinked around the corner silently toward the old man's stand.

"I suppose the weather's been a bit nice, but-" Scrooge McDuck was saying before something caught WuNin's eye.

"See ya later!" She cut him off and ran away.

"Mission success...!" The boy said into the microphone.

"Rendevous with King at the Bailey!" ABF said cheerfully, flying in that direction as fast as she could. Soon they were all gathered there. The boy wore a red trenchcoat with white designs on the back and wore a sword pendent around his neck. More importantly, he was holding their rewards.

"Here's to another successful theft!" He handed WuNin her Sea Salt Ice Cream, and held ABF's for her as he licked his own.

"Yeah, Scrooge'll never miss these...Besides, with all the help we do for Radiant Garden, we should get SOME kinda perk, right?" WuNin said, licking hers. ABF was too busy with her treat to say anything.

"Rikku, Yuffie, Jason!" An accusing female voice yelled out. They all turned to her. "Stealing, AGAIN?"

"Uh...Hey Tifa..." Said Jason, a.k.a. King, nervously. Rikku, a.k.a. ABF, and Yuffie, a.k.a. WuNin, rolled their eyes. They were Jason's closest friends and he had confided in them both his feelings for Tifa. They knew no matter how this turned out, the Ice Cream was going to be paid for. Tifa held out her hand.

"The Munny for the Ice Cream..." She said sternly. Jason sighed and pulled out a small pouch.

"But...That's all your Munny! You don't have to pay for us too!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Rikku chimed in. Jason held up his hand.

"It was my idea, my plan, AND...I'm your leader...I take full responsibility..." He handed the pouch over to Tifa, who nodded and walked off to pay Scrooge. Jason sighed.

"That was pretty mean of her! Taking all your money...I don't see why you like her..." Rikku said.

"Now, now...She's right...Stealing's wrong..." Jason said. Yuffie and Rikku stared at him in disbelief. Then to both their surprise, he smirked, "Too bad I'm a hypocrite, huh?" He said chuckling. Yuffie and Rikku giggled with them. That was something special they had found out about Jason. No matter what, he could always make you smile...And never seemed to stay down for long. He was really a great leader.

Yuffie licked her ice cream thoughtfully as she leaned against the wall of the Bailey. Reminiscing, remembering her first meeting with Jason. About a month ago he had shown up at the Radiant Garden Restoration Commitee's base, a.k.a. Merlin's house, requesting to join. He had the same kinda feel as Aerith almost. When you were around him you just...Felt good. Cid interviewed him, Merlin tested his magic abilities, then Leon tested his skill in battle. The interview went very well, he was very skilled in Fire magic, and Leon couldn't land a hit on him. They were all blown away by that last one. When he fought it was like he was a whole different person. They were all awestruck by it.

So needless to say, he was in! His only problem was, he seemed very shy. One reason he may have started his crush on Tifa was because she was the first to approach him. She complimented his battle skills and asked if they could spar sometime. It seemed like they were going to become good friends, if not something more. Then the actual match came. Tifa became furious at him because he was holding back and refused to go all out. Yuffie was too, at the time. You see, they thought it was because Tifa was a girl.

About a week after the match, Yuffie finally approached him. She had started to suspect his feelings for Tifa after watching him for a couple days. She found out that at some point he had met Rikku and they had become friends. She currently resided in one of his coat pockets. His coat itself was a red trenchcoat with white lining. The collar was up and a strip of the coat reached from the left side of the coat to the right with a button across the neck. His shirt was black with a large red vertical line and a smaller red horicontal line. He also wore a sword pendent around his neck on a chain. His sleeves folded up at around mid-forearm and he wore fingerless brown leather gloves. His pants were black, baggy jeans, and his shoes were black and golden yellow.

She introduced herself and shook his hand. They soon found all 3 had a lot in common and they all became quick friends. She knew shortly after talking with him that he wasn't sexist at all. He said he was holding back for "other reasons". She knew even then very well what they were, but she waited. One night, she found him out in the middle of the street looking more down than she had ever seen him, and had yet to see him. That was the night he told them about his feelings for Tifa.

She was snapped out of her memories by Rikku.

"Yuffie, if you don't eat your ice cream it's gonna melt..." She said, stealing a lick from Yuffie's ice cream. Yuffie looked and saw her ice cream was making it's way to her hand. She quickly caught it with her tongue and finished off the rest of it way too fast.

"Gah!" She exclaimed, "Brain freeze...!" She held a hand to her head in pain and Rikku giggled and Jason chuckled. Jason's ice cream's stick hung from in between his teeth and Rikku's ice cream was half gone. Jason and Yuffie had both wondered how such a small fairy could pack away so much sweets. Jason once theorized that the sugar is instantly transferred into energy so she can stay her energetic, floating self. They had a good laugh over that.

"Alright gals, let's saddle up..." Jason said with a fake cowboy accent.

"But I still have half to go..." Rikku whined. Jason bit half that remained off, swallowed it, then the other and laughed, running. Rikku gasped.

"Not anymore!" He chuckled as he ran back toward Merlin's.

"Hey, that was mine, you meanie!" Rikku yelled, tho' there was a hint of a laugh behind it as she flew after him. Yuffie laughed herself and followed close behind.

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Tifa approached the ramshackle hut that was in the back parts of Radiant Garden. The beaten old hut had a badly painted sign that read "Kisse Creb Central". She had no idea what the nonsense words before Central ment and didn't much care. With this young girls help, she would be able to see him again. She held in her left hand a pouch filled with munny she had conveniantly received earlier that day. Tifa walked up to the door, barely on it's hinges, and knocked. The ut looked like it could only fit a single person. Maybe, some tools. Slowly the door opened and she walked inside.

It really could only fit one person. There were no tools or anything, the walls were just rotted wood. This was the address she had been sending the Munny to, so what the-? Her thoughts were cut off by a sudden drop in the floor.

"Woah!" She esclaimed as she kept her balance. She heard a few mechanical whirrs and the floor slowly began descending.

"An elevator...?" She thought out loud. After about a minute the elevator stopped at a gigantic underground room. All of the walls looked sterile and silver. The floor was cement, and all around there were tools and parts strewn about. In the center of the room was what she had been paying for. What she had commissioned. Her very own Gummi Ship.

"Hello...?" She asked to the seemingly empty room. Her voice echoed back to her. She saw feet sticking out from under the suspended ship and walked over to them.

"Charexl?" She asked. No response. She reached down and tugged on a leg, pulling out a very young looking girl with long black hair with red streaks. She wore a dark purple off the shoulder tank top, with a lighter purple one underneath. She also had on yellow short shorts and a blue belt. She had a linen straps around her right thigh and wore baggy purple knee socks, with light blue sneakers. On her left arm was a red work glove that was tyed at the wrist and went up to her elbow. On her right was a purple cloth bracelet. Tifa remembered hearing the girl was only 14. That is...If you consider Nobodies to have ages.

Charexl was a strange case. From what Tifa heard, upon further examination of the mansion in Twilight Town, they had found her sealed in the same type of contraption as Sora, Donald, and Goofy were. When they freed her, the first this she said was "Where's my brother, Axel?". It seemed she was like him. A Nobody with emotions, It was confusing, because a Nobody with emotions would mean a Nobody with a heart, and that's not possible...Right? Sora brought her to Radiant Garden for them to watch over. However, she soon found she had a gift for building machines and Gummi Ships, so she left soon and started this Gummi Ship business. No one got a chance to really know her...Tho' one person did seem to have caught Charexl's interest. Big time.

Tifa shook off the memories and was shocked to realize...Charexl was asleep! Tifa rattled the bag near her ear and she quickly woke up.

"Oh good, you're awake..." Tifa said pleasantly enough. Charexl scratched her head.

"I guess you're Tifa, right?" She said with a smile. Charexl jumped to her feet and stood up. Tifa nodded.

"I was up all night finishing your ship, Ms. Lockheart!" Charexl said happily, "Do you have your last payment?"

"Of course," Tifa said, "And please, just Tifa." She smiled and handed over the pouch. Charexl looked thro' and counted the Munny.

"Hmm...You're a little short..." She said, dissappointed. Tifa smirked.

"Well...I could let you keep the pouch too..." She said playfully.

"Well, that's not worth much..." Charexl responded.

"Even if I told you it belonged to Jason...?" Tifa said slyly. Charexl's eyes lit up.

"My Jasie's! Really!" She said excitedly. Tifa ndded. "It's a deal!" Tifa felt kinda bad about using the money for her own needs instead of paying Scrooge, but she secretly agreed with them. All the work they've done, and not even a discount on Ice Cream? That Scrooge really was nothing but a greedy penny-pincher.

"I'll bring it up for you!" Charexl said cheerfully. She ran over to a lever and pulled it. The ground shook, and slowly the ceiling began to open to the surface. The floor Tifa, Charexl, and the ship were on began to rise up as well. Tifa could barely contain her excitement. With this ship, she would be able to find him. She would be able to be with Cloud.

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Jason sat on the edge of a crevace in the back part of Radiant Garden. He'd heard some mechanical whirring before, but thought nothing of it. Yuffie was laid out behind him, staring up at the sky. Rikku was resting in Jason's pocket. Sudden;y the ground shook, and the was plenty of mechanical noise.

"What the hell!" Jason exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Yuffie sat up quickly as well.

"Wanna go check it out?" Yuffie asked, knowing the answer already. Rikku flew up out of Jas's pocket.

"Onward!" She yelled and flew off in the direction. Jason nodded and followed. Yuffie got to her feet and ran after them as well.

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"So you're leaving?" Cid asked. Tifa had come in to say goodbye to everyone.

"Yep." She responded, "I'm going to find Cloud..."

"Please..." Aerith said, "Bring him back..." Tifa had mixed emotions about Aerith. She was her best friend but...Also a rival in love. She tried not to think about it too much. Let Cloud decide.

"I will..." Tifa said, smiling with a determined look.

"Good luck and be safe" Merlin chimed in. Tifa nodded and left. When she finally got to Charexl's hut again, there was another girl standing beside Charexl. She had reddish brown hair to her lower back and wore a black tanktop and collar. She had a red plaid skirt on with two belts crossing to hold it up. She had white stockings and brown Mary Janes. On her left arm was a black arm warmer that went from below her shoulder to her wrist, her right arm was wrapped in linen from shoulder to wrist with a black bracelet with spikes on it.

"Who's this?" Tifa asked. Both girls turned to her.

"This is Alexi, my assistant!" Charexl said.

"While Charexl drives this thing, I'll be manning the guns." Alexi continued. Tifa nodded.

"I see..." The three of them entered the ship, which Tifa had already christened the Premium Heart. Charexl sat in front of the wheel and console, while Alexi sat in a raised seat surround by a bubble of glass that stuck out of the top of the ship.

"The ship's bigger than it looks," Charexl said, "There are several rooms and things in the back. A kitchen, bathrooms, shower rooms, bed rooms..."

"Good idea...This may be a long journey..." Tifa said, "But we're ready for it, right?"

"Yep," Charexl responded, "We have enough food rations for 3 people and we can restock in the different worlds if need be. Now then, let's go!" She pressed a small red button and the ship vibrated slightly then rose off the ground.

"Get ready..." Alexi said.

"Hold on tight!" Chimed Charexl. The ship suddenly shot forward, sending Tifa flying across the room.

"Woah!" She yelled, "Oph!" As she hit the wall. Strangely enough, she thought she heard more than one thump...

The ship suddenly stopped and she found herself skidding across the floor. There was a loud bang as the door to the back burst open and Jason slid out into the middle of the room. Yuffie was on top of him, and both looked shocked. Rikku flitted about above them.

"Are you guys ok!" Rikku asked, panicked. Tifa sat up and looks to them.

"What're you three doing here!" She asked surprised. Charexl turned around, her eyes lit up and she gasped.

"JASIE!" She squealed and lept out of her chair, glomping him and knocking Yuffie away,

"Eep!" Yuffie yelped.

"Oph!" Jason exclaimed as he was glomped. Tifa looked at the aftermath and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was all ruined. Alexi just stared curiously.

"Cloud..." Tifa said, already feeling exhausted, then she suddenly felt angry at them, "...GET OFFA MY SHIP YOU THEIVES!" She cried in anger and frustration.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Journey of Hearts **_

_Chapter 2: _

_King meets the King_

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"So do we have any clues as to his whereabouts?" Charexl asked cheerfully. Tifa had finally calmed down, but still seemed a bit annoyed that Jason, Yuffie, and Rikku had snuck on board. Charexl insisted on letting Jason stay, however, and he insisted on his 2 best friends staying. She honestly didn't mind Yuffie and Rikku. They were a bit of trouble sometimes with their thievary, but they were nice and didn't do it excessively. She DID have something against that sexist Jason, tho'. Thinking lesser of her cause she was a girl...It still made her angry!

"I figured we'd visit the King and see what he could tell us..." Tifa said. She stood behind Charexl with her arms crossed in front of her. Jason, Yuffie, and Rikku were in the back trying to make room for all of them in the only free room on the ship. Alexi was keeping a close look out for Heartless and Nobody ships.

"King Mickey?" Charexl asked, "Ok, let's see..." She pulled out a thick book and began flipping through the pages. "Ah! Found the coordinates! Full speed ahead to Disney Castle!" She shouted with a smile. She gripped the wheel and pressed down hard on the acceleration. The Gummi Ship Premium Heart suddenly sped forward, causing Tifa to gasp in surprise and grab Charexl's chair to prevent her from flying back.

"You really need to install more chairs in this thing..." Tifa said.

"Well, I'm sure the King can hook us up with some parts," Charexl replied, "I can also install a room for Jasie and his friends." They suddenly heard laser fire. They looked up at Alexi, who was rapidly pressing buttons.

"It's alright, just a few Heartless..." She said with a smirk, "Nothing I can't take care of..."

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"Incoming Gummi Ship!" Dale the chipmunk yelled. His brother, Chip, pressed a few buttons on a console and the big, metal doors on the far end of the room slowly opened. The Premium Heart slowly flew in and landed perfectly on the track. There were some minor damages, but otherwise it seemed fine. Tifa exitted the ship, nodded the Chip and Dale with a smile and walked out of the room. Charexl and Alexi got out next. Charexl ran over to Chip.

"Are you two Gummi Ship mechanics?" She asked excitedly.

"Yep! You bet!" They replied. She quickly fell into conversation with them about improving the Premium Heart. Alexi looked through the heaps of Gummi Parts the chipmunks had presumably collected, looked for some decent Weapon Gummies she might try and persuade them to let her have. Jason, Yuffie, and Rikku got out last.

"Let's check this place out, then go see the King, ok?" Jason suggested, looking back at his two companions. They both nodded in agreement and the three walked up the 2 small sets of stairs, then thro' the 3 pointed crown shaped exitway.

Their vision was suddenly filled with light. To their amazement, they were standing in a courtyard with great bush sculptures in each corner. Rikku flitted around looking at the bush art in amazement. A cow playing cymbals, a pig blowing a horn, a dog playing a trumbone, and another pig playing a tuba. Jason looked behind them and say the doorway leading back to the Hangar was a bush version of the castle itself with a lush, green, slightly winding path leading out. Around the path and castle were small, yellow flowers. Yuffie and Jason walked down the short path under a bush arch spotted with blue and yellow flowers and what appeared to be stars. They looked around for a short while, after all, none of them had ever seen anything so lush in Radiant Garden, despite it's name. They were still owrking on rebuilding it, but Jason already wanted to see Radiant Garden as lush and beautiful as this. All 3 headed for the door out of the Courtyard.

They entered the castle and walked down the soft carpeted stone hallway. The ceiling was so high, they couldn't even see it! They could see the courtyard on the left as the hallway was sort of like a balconey on that side. All the stone was white or pale blue and was covered with intriquite designs. They stopped in front of what could only be the doors to the throne room. They were several times taller than Jason, he had to look almost straight up to see the top, and pale purple. They had a small blue insignia of the Disney Kingdom on each massive door, a simplified mouse head. Jason couldn't reach the gold, vertical handles on the door without jumping, so he just knocked. They waited for a short while then to all of their surprise a normal door-sized part of the left door opened up.

"...This is one kooky place..." Jason said, slowly walking in. Yuffie agreed with a simple yeah and followed behind him. The floor and many thick columns lining the walls were pale blue, the bottom part of the walls was pale purple, and the top part, which once more seemed to go on ad infinitum. However, there was a thick path of bright light coming in from the center of the ceiling going along the same path as the red carpet leading to the throne. Standing on the blue platform was Tifa and a mouse wearing red, gold, and black. Above them was a red banner with the Disney Kingdom insignia on it in black. Behind the golden throne there was a marble statue of an armored dog with a sheilf and a duck dressed like a wizard. Tifa and the mouse looked toward the three theives as they entered.

"Oh uh...They're with me..." Tifa said to the mouse. He nodded and beckoned for them.

"Is the that the King?" Jason asked.

"Yep, King Mickey." Yuffie said, smiling as always.

"He's so cute!" Rikku chimed in. They walked, or flew in Rikku's case, down the carpet to where Mickey and Tifa stood.

"I remember Yuffie, but I don't believe we've met" Mickey said to Jason and Rikku.

"Name's Rikku!" Rikku responded, doing a back flip in the air.

"I'm Jason." Jason said goodheartedly. Mickey held out his hand.

"Mickey Mouse." He said in his high pitched voice. Jason took his hand and shook it. Mickey eyes him for a second after they shook.

"You too, then?" He asked.

"Uh...What do you mean?" Jason asked, looking down at the royal mouse.

"Nevermind..." Mickey waved off his earlier comment, then turned back to Tifa. "As for Cloud, I don't really know...We can look for him, if you want. I have several wizards who may be able to track him, as long as his light is bright enough."

"I'm afraid it may be pretty dim..." Tifa sighed. She put her elbow in one hand and rested her chin on the back of her other hand, thinking. "I don't know where to start..."

"Try going to Master Yen Sid. He may know something," Mickey offered, "He was my master, after all. He's close to Twilight Town, his tower's hard to miss." Tifa nodded, going back to a relaxed stance.

"Alright, I'll stop by and ask," She said cheerfully, "Thank you, King Mickey."

"Sure thing!" Mickey waved to them as she and the other three turned and started leaving. He sat back on his chair as they left through the smaller door and pondered.

"That boy..." His voice echoed off the walls of the empty throne room.

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"...I'm sorry that we stowed away..." Jason said to Tifa's back as they walked. She was a little ahead of Jason and the girls.

"...I'm sorry I overreacted before..." Tifa responded, "Just please don't do anything to hinder my search...And I'd really prefer it if you helped..." Yuffie and Rikku looked at each other, woncering is Jason knew about Tifa's feelings for Cloud. They were beginning to think this was a bad idea. They didn't want to see their close friend get hurt...

"He's your boyfriend, right?" Jason said, cheerfully enough. Yuffie and Rikku both looked surprised. So did Tifa, as she whirled around. Her cheeks had a pink tint.

"Er...Uh..." She stammered "He's not...Really my boyfriend..." She scratched the back of her head nervously. Jason just smiled.

"I understand..." He said, " Shy...It's ok, I'll help you find him" After how he had talked about Tifa with Rikku and Yuffie, they were surprised he wasn't immediately trying to derail her search. He wanted to HELP the girl of his dreams find another man?

"...Thank you, Jason..." Tifa said, "...I always thought of you as a jerk and a real sexist...Let's see if you hold onto that promise...And remember, I'm not some weak girl like you seem to think I am! I could tie you into a knot if I wanted!"

"Believe me, I know..." Jason chuckled. Tifa looked at him strangely, as if she had been expecting a different response.

"Yes...Well...Let's hurry..." She said, walking faster toward the exit. Once she was gone, Rikku turned to Jason.

"Jason...You DO realize she...Likes him, right?" She said, concerned.

"Yeah...If she finds him, no offense, but you won't have a chance with her..." Yuffie added, also concerned. Jason walked to the edge of the balconey and leaned over, putting his arms on the railing. He stared down at Tifa as she walked the path. A smile crossed his lips.

"I'm going to help her find him..." He said softly, "Because I love her..." Rikku floated beside him, with a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Yuffie asked from behind him.

"...If you love someone...You want them to be happy..." He answered, "I want Tifa to be happy more than anything...I want any and all of her suffering to end...If Cloud is who will make her happy and wash those sorrows away...I want her to be with him more than anybody..." He was smiling, but Rikku could see a bit of sadness behind it. It was obvious he wished he was the one who could do that for her.

"No matter, we better hurry or they'll leave without us!" Jason suddenly said and lept over the edge of the balcony, langing amidst the bushs. Yuffie and Rikku stared at him.

"He's a lot more deep than I realized..." Yuffie almost whispered.

"He's really in love..." Rikku responded, "...I don't want to see him in pain tho'...He's our friend..."

"I don't think there's anything we can do..." Yuffie then jumped as well. Rikku floated behind.

-------------------

When they got back to the Premium Heart, Charexl was just finishing up some additions to the ship. Also it appeared Alexi had found some weapons she liked, as there were now 2 more guns and what appeared to be a saw attached to the ship. They walked in and Tifa was relieved to see 3 new chairs installed in the main room. Also it appeared there was now a room for Jason and a room for Yuffie.

"I added a space in Jason's room for Rikku instead of wasting Gummi Blocks on another room since she's so small..." Charexl said after they check it out. Rikku settled in the Cabinet sized dent in the wall. There was a cute little bed just right for her size in there. Jason and Yuffie had the same kinds of beds, tho' made for their sizes.

"Now go get your weapons from the storage room and store them in your rooms, please..." Charexl said, "Almost cut myself trying to get supplies out of there..." They both nodded and walked to the storage room. Jason's twin scimitars leaned against the wall. They had a long chain connecting the bottoms of their hilts, which were wrapped in soft leather strips, with a large ring in the center. The hand guards were gold and the blades themselves were polished steel. Yuffie's own giant Shuriken sat in the corner. They each grabbed their weapons and walked back. They both tucked their weapons under their beds and, along with Rikku, went back to the main room. Tifa sat in the center chair, Jason and Yuffie sat in the two behind it. They all strapped in and Rikku flew into Jason's coat pocket, settling nicely.

"Our next destination is Yen Sid's Tower, near Twilight Town." Tifa said to Charexl. Charexl nodded and punched in the coordinates. The ship rumbled and slowly raised.

"Le'sBOOGIE!" Alexi yelled cheerfully as one word right before the Premium Heart shot out like a bullet.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Journey of Hearts**_

_Chapter 3:_

_Meeting the Master_

_ Note: Sorry it took so long! Twilight Town's going to be the first major part of the story, and I'll be focusing a bit more on Charexl and Alexi in it, so look forward to it :3 R&R, please!  
_

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"Well, knew this would happen soon enough..." sighed Jason. Charexl had landed the Premium Heart by Yen Sid's tower, but when they all got out they were immediately surrounded by Shadows. Annoying little Heartless standing in their way. They stood in a circle, Jason, Tifa, Yuffie, Alexi, and Charexl with Rikku flying in the center above them. Jason was holding his blades by the ring in the center of the chains holding their hilts together, slung over his right shoulder. Tifa had put her black leather gloves on and was in her stance. Yuffie was spinning her gigantic shuriken on her finger by the hole in the center. Charexl weilded a large wrench she also used to repair the Gummi Ship. Alexi had a very large Gummi Mallet. Charexl had designed it, apparently by switching Gummi Blocks she could give it special abilities and make it stronger. Rikku was armed only with her fairy magic.

The Shadows outnumbered them 10 to 1, but numbers didn't matter. Jason, Yuffie, Tifa, and Rikku were experianced at fighting these little guys and they all seriously doubted Alexi and Charexl were exactly new to it.

"What a hassle..." Tifa said.

"They don't stand a chance!" chimed in Rikku. Three of the Shadows jumped at Jason. Quick as lightning he threw the blades over his shoulder, slipped his hand through the ring, and spun the blades with amazing speed on his wrist like a fan. The 3 Shadows were chopped into smoke in seconds.

"Well let's go!" He said with a smirk and grabbed the hilts of his blades, slinging the chain behind him, and charging into the mass of Heartless. Yuffie threw her shuriken into the group, cutting through just as many on the way out as on the way back like a boomerang. Rikku was casting fireballs into the crowd followed by a series of lightning bolts. Tifa used wide kicks and energy enforced punchs to take out as many with each hit as she could. Alexi was playing Whack-a-Heartless quite well, shaking the ground a couple of time with her massive mallet. Charexl batted at them like she was going for a home run. Jason slashed wildly, but precisely, into the crowd. The air was filled with smoke from the defeated Heartless.

Tifa stomped on the final Shadow. The battle lasted barely a few minutes. Charexl and Alexi stayed to guard the ship as the other 4 approached Yen Sid's tower. The whole area was a pretty strange place. They were on a floating chunk of land in the middle of night, the edge was lined with tall bushs. Beyond, they could only see a strange orange mist below them with similar bushs poking out. Jason looked up at the tall tower, breathing the word wow under his breath.

It's walls were yellow stone, and the roofs were green shingled. The tower sort of got crooked on it's way up, then straightened out again near the top. It had several additions jutting up and out from it's side, all pointy topped. Rikku flew up to one of the windows and peered in.

"I don't see anyone..." She said, "Looks pretty dark...I can barely see anything..."

"Must be some kinda spell..." Yuffie said, "Even Merlin looks up to this guy...He must be pretty powerful..."

"Well, let's hurry on..." Tifa said, walking up to the tall wooden doors. If there was one thing these people all liked, it seemed to Jason, it was unnecessarily tall doors. This one could fit them if Tifa was on his shoulder, and Yuffie was riding Tifa piggyback, easy. She slowly pushed open the right door, which had a golden crescent moon on it, and peeked in.

"Hello?" She called, "Master Yen Sid...?" They all waited for a bit, but no answer. Jason opened the left door, which had a golden star on it, and walked in.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Tifa protested, tho' not wholeheartedly.

"If he wanted to keep us out," Jason started, "He'd have locked the door..." He smirked and continued in.

"He...Has a point..." Rikku said, hoping to not get swatted by Tifa. She followed in after him.

"That's some messed up logic..." Tifa sighed, "C'mon Yuffie..." Yuffie shuddered.

"But Rikku said it's dark in there..." She complained. Tifa walked behind her and pushed the resisting ninja forward in.

"In you go!" She said cheerfully. Now the four stood and flew, respectively, inside a circular room that was much bigger than it looked on the outside. Tifa walked on the green cobblestone path on the edge of the room toward the colorful blue stairs.

"Magic sure is amazing..." She said, looking up. Most of the stairs were blocked from view by a similar blue wall with darker lines going down it and a yellow bottom. "I never really got it that much myself..." There was almost a sense of despair in her voice. Jason noted to ask her about it later.

"C'mon, slowpokes!" Rikku chimed as she flew up the stairs. Yuffie was just relieved it was plenty bright inside. She quickly ran up after Rikku. Jason and Tifa looked to each other.

"After you..." Jason said, doing a goofy little bow that made Tifa chuckle. Once again it crossed her mind that maybe her image of him was very wrong. She was beginning to find it hard to not warm up to him, as many others had found out in the past.

"My, what a gentleman..." She jokingly retorted as she headed up the stairs. Jason's cheeks went up one little tint of red at that, but she didn't notice. He walked behind her, wondering if she was finally starting to at least think of him as an acquaintance instead of a potential punching bag.

-------------------

They had gone thro' a green glowing portal which lead them to yet another huge circular room that was definately bigger than it looked on the outside. The had only the first part of a spiraling staircase floating in the air. Below them was yellow mist and above them was other floating, separated parts of the staircase, each had another glowing portal at each end. Wasn't too hard to figure out what they had to do.

Yen Sid's magic didn't seem to keep the Heartless from getting in, as the fighters had to face off against many on their way up. Each portal at the top of a part of the staircase lead to a room with either glowing star or crescent moon shapes on the dome ceiling, as well as star or crescent moon shaped statues on the edge of the room.

Eventually they made it to the end of the stairs, tho' all four were rather annoyed by the changing of a simple thing like climbing stairs to a complex thing like using portals and having to fight Heartless most of the way. They now stood at the top of the floating stairs before a door, this one normal sized. Jason knocked as Tifa crushed the last Shadow into smoke with her powerful fist.

"Come in..." An ancient voice said from behind the door. Ancient, but briming with power. They all shuddered a little feeling only a tiny fraction of the magic power this man possessed from his voice. Jason slowly opened the door and walked in, the others following in behind him. The room was green just about top to bottom. The ceiling had a ring of glowing blue stones that provided light and in the center of the room was an oak desk with books piled high on each side. Ancient tomes and texts, some thinker than Jason's arm.

Behind the desk, sitting in a chair with a back that reached to a quarter of the distance to the ceiling, was an ancient figure with a long white beard and pointy blue hat, covered with the familiar star and moon designs. He looked up from the book he was apparently reading, it's pages yellow and brittle with age.

"Are you the ones the King spoke of...?" The Great Master Yen Sid asked the group. Jason and Tifa nodded, while Rikku flew into Jason's coat pocket and Yuffie made an audible gulp.

"My name's Tifa," Tifa said, "And this is Yuffie, Jason, and the little one is Rikku..." Yen Sid smiled and nodded to each.

"Unless you ally with the Heartless and Nobody's, you need not fear my..." He said, looking at Yuffie, but addressing them both, "And I do not mean your pilot, either...She is a special case. Now, the King has asked me to aid you on your quest, Tifa Lockhart." Tifa's eyes widened for a second in surprise, but didn't say anything. "What is it that you need my help for?"

"Well, Master Yen Sid...I'm searching for someone..." She said, just a bit shyly, "I don't know anything about where he might be, tho'...So could you please help me find him?" She almost pleaded. Yen Sid studied her for a few seconds.

"So, you wish to know the whereabouts of Cloud Strife." Yen Sid stated. Tifa nodded. "Well, I can certainly try, miss...As long as his light shines, I can find him." Tifa looked down a bit.

"I'm afraid his light may be dim..." She said sadly, "Very dim...And getting dimmer..." Jason hated that hurt look on her face. He looked from her to Yen Sid.

"Please, Yen Sid! Please help us find him," He said, determined, "I'll do anything to help!" Tifa looked up at him, and he looked back. She needn't say anything. The thanks was in her eyes. Yen Sid stood from his chair, his dark blue robes ruffling in a breeze coming from the star and crescent moon shaped windows in the wall behind him.

"I'll get right on it..." He said, "...However, if what you say is true, Miss Lockhart, it may take a while. I recommend all six of you going to Twilight Town until I send for you. I'm afraid my Tower isn't very accommodating for more than two people at most..."

"Where's that?" Yuffie got up the courage to ask.

"There will be a train waiting to take all 6 of you there when you get back down the tower." Yen Sid said, matter of factly, "I will use my magic to protect your Gummi Ship in your absence."

"Alright, thanks!" Jason said, smiling, "Let's go, guys!" He grabbed Tifa and Yuffie's arms and ran out down the stairs with them, both surprised and yelling. Yen Sid stood looking to the door for a moment.

"It's surprising it hasn't come to that boy yet..." He said to the empty room.

-------------------

Indeed there was a train waiting for them, and of course, it was blue covered with yellow stars and moons. Charexl didn't want to leave the Premium Heart, but was finally convinced to get on board. The seats were very comfortable and Jason soon laid down on one and fell asleep. Yuffie was sitting beside his head and giggled.

"Guess he was tired..." She said. Rikku was also sleeping; in Jason's pocket. Tifa sat across from them, next to Alexi and leaning against the wall. Charexl was on the end of the seat, staring excitedly out the window on her knees, her little bum wiggling back and forth as she Oo-ed and Ah-ed at the strange and colorful view. Tifa looked at Yuffie.

"You're his best friend, right...?" She asked. Yuffie nodded.

"Along with Rikku, yep" She said, stretching.

"...Why did he hold back when he fought me?" Tifa asked the ninja girl. Yuffie sighed, trying to think of an excuse. She understood that, as a Martial Artist, Tifa has great pride in her ability, and to have it seemingly looked down upon and insulted would make her angry, but GEEZ!

"He was...Um...Sick!" She responded.

"...Sick...?"

"Sick." Yuffie leaned back a bit, relaxing as the train went along it's invisible tracks. Tifa stayed silent and looked away.

Then why did he agree to fight me...? She pondered.


End file.
